It Couldn't Have Been Easy
by Nausika Universe
Summary: Just a fun collection of shorts of Gelphie fluff, Elphaba's sarcasm and Galinda's bubbliness during their time at Shiz, which, you see, couldn't have been easy...
1. Chapter 1

**Hello there! If you don't know me, I'm Nausika! Nice to meet you and welcome to my Universe!**

**So this will be a row of shorts about my favourite pairing/friends: G(a)linda and Elphaba! I wrote a huge story about the events after Wicked and finally finished it, but could not let go of the two just yet...**

**The chapters don't necessarily hang together and just be short excerpts of their lives in Shiz or perhaps even before. I'm a huge Gelphie fan, but I don't know yet how far I'll go - Gelphie fluff will definitely be there though! This will be more Musical than Book, but I include aspects of both.**

**Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy reading and let me know what you liked and what I could do better! I'm always open for feedback, criteria, ideas and suggestions. Also, I am not a native English speaker, so feel free to correct any mistakes, anything that's unclear or inform me about typos.**

**Without further ado!**

* * *

_"Time heals all sorrows,_

_Gain love and no worries,_

_I'm so annoyed_

_Get this song ouuut… of my head…" _I groan, my voice fading into a sigh. Raking a hand through my hair, I have to shake it out, getting tangled. Repeatedly tapping my pen onto my paper, I have a hard time to get back into the subject matter.

_"Lost in the labyrinth  
Never know what love means  
Cause truly that precious, innocent mind  
No fears, no more tears-"_

"Why, Miss Elpha- wah!" Galinda jumps when I do. She keeps appearing out of nowhere (though probably through the door, but I sometimes fail to notice…). Angrily staring at that blonde airhead, I quickly forget about my previous shock, knowing I had been distracted by another one of those never-leaving songs of hers, having been planted in her head for all eternity. "You sing-"

"Your stupid torture methods, thank you very much." I snort, turning back in an effort to resume my studies.

"I was just gonna say that you have a beautiful singing voice." Galinda huffs crossly, spinning towards her side of the room, purposefully clacking her heels as loudly as possible. Soon, she lacks force and probably retreats from her pouty manner, slumming down on her bed with a long, vocal sigh.

"Glad to be meeting your auditory expectations," I drily comment, making Galinda smile widely behind my back. I am upholding a conversation – the perfect opportunity to keep from studying (to her). Would she not be this innocently naïve, I am sure that blonde would rub her hands together as if plotting a scheme.

"Sing me a lullaby!" Galinda excitedly exclaims, immediately being met with a frown. It is no use to try and study now, anyway. Might as well use the chance to chaff my roommate.

"And why would I do that?" I ask. Galinda ponders for a second, pressing a finger to her lips and chin. She is this irritatingly picturesque and literal, always striking poses that could come right out of a children's play.

"Cause… cause you're nice,"

"Nope,"

"And you like doing me favours,"

"Na-ah,"

"And… and you're nice?"

"Already had that," I raise a single brow at the sheepish grin I receive. Not that I was not enjoying the attention to my singing to be good, but I would, of course, never admit that to anyone, least of all Galinda. The complement is quite a surprise, too, as she naturally considers herself to be a splendid songstress and would not let herself be compared to anyone remotely capable – making it all the more heartfelt.

"Maybe…" Galinda narrows her eyes to slots, desperately trying to come up with something. Finally, she falls backwards on her bed, giving a sigh of defeat. "…please?"

"Hmm…"

"Elphieee…" she half pleads, half commands. I wait but there is nothing more coming. For perhaps the first time unhappy with a conversation ending – especially between us – I get up from my chair and saunter over to my bed, where I casually take off my boots.

"I think I've already forgotten the actual topic…" I say, somewhat carefully. I do not want to stop now. Then again, I do not want to seem to be fishing for complements, which I am… Is that a bad thing? Am I vain or just a little lonely…?

"I asked you to sing me a lullaby," Galinda reminds, lifting her finger up to point at the ceiling in a matter-of-factly way, eyes staying shut. She twitches with one foot, which is hanging in the air from her legs being crossed.

"Why?"

"Cause…" she slowly sits up, tilting her head at me. I freeze inwardly at being caught with doing nothing but sitting there. Waiting. A small smile tugs at the corners of her lips. She knows. Giving a short, amused hum, she hops over to my bed, jumping onto it with her knees. "Because you sing beautifully, Miss Elphaba." She repeats, making me blush at being caught. I inwardly curse at myself. Luckily, she does not notice.

Humming to herself, Galinda shuffles across the bed and sits upright behind me, untangling my braid and the mess I left on my head by pulling out my hand earlier.

"You would be great for kids,"

"You mean to scare them off without even a horror story?" I shrug, allowing Galinda to run her fingers through my raven-black waves. I want to add another comment about my appearance, but she is faster, her voice as calm as her movements (I think doing hair calms her down, as much as it excites her, like catnip or something).

"No, I mean with singing." She states the obvious. "I'd hire you,"

"Hah!" I cannot hold back a cackle, shaking my head, making Galinda scowl at her now ruined work. "Like you'd ever have children,"

"_Excuse_ me?" She crosses her arms, sitting back on her heels, pouting. With a smirk, I turn, one leg off the bed, while the other is cocked-up, an arm resting on it.

"Just last week, you asked me on which _tree_ potatoes grow."

"So?" Galinda blushes, daring to look over at my with amusement sparking green eyes.

"You can hardly care for yourself; I can't possibly imagine you with children-"

"There are such things as Nannies, you know?"

"Oh, yeah, that sounds grand…" I roll my eyes, getting to my feet. I pull on the blanket, ignoring the yelp of my roommate when making her tumble on the bed. Digging out my nightgown, I do not mind undressing in front of her – she would never dare to take a peek.

"Nannies are great!"

"What do you have children for, if you don't even take care of them?"

"To…" Galinda genuinely thinks about the question for the first time, it seems. Having averted her gaze and fighting the light pink tint on her cheeks, she pushes out her lower lip, unable to find a proper answer.

"Admit it, you're just following the status quo,"

"Not even if I knew what that was would I admit… something…" Galinda frowns in confusion, turning to face me. She backs away a little with shock when directly being met with my green face in front of hers, a single brow raised.

"You will only marry and have children, because that's what society expects of you. You don't care how much misery you're going to give those poor, frustrated souls that don't have any reason of existence but for you to fulfil your role." I plainly, yet sharply say, receiving puzzled blinking.

"They won't be poor,"

"Oh, _gods_, Galinda…!" I throw my hands up, shaking my head with an exasperated sigh. This is hopeless. I leave for the bathroom, returning to find my roommate in her nightgown on her own bed, mellowly brushing her golden hair.

Ignoring the sympathy-seeking eyes that glance at me from below, I turn off the lights and go over to my bed, covering myself with my thin blanket. I sit up against the headboard, lighting the candlestick on my nightstand and flip through my book to find the right page.

"I thought you didn't believe in souls…" Galinda quietly breaks the silence. I can feel her big, sapphire eyes on me as I stare at my book without reading its content.

"I don't."

"I was never unhappy to be brought up by my Nanny," Galinda continues, finally resigning and crawling beneath her ridiculously pink comforter, "And even if my children will someday be taken care of by someone other than me, they won't be lacking anything in life."

"Braincells?" I supply, not being met with a comment. At the missing response (and/or flying pillow), I turn my head, seeing that Galinda is curled up on her side, calmly staring in my direction, yet seemingly at nothing at all. I sigh deeply, slowly letting my book sink, still not receiving a reaction. Blowing out my candle, I leave the room in darkness.

Silence ingulfs us for quite a while, until Galinda audibly shuffles, probably turning to face the wall. Not closing my eyes, I stare at the ceiling I can hardly make out. Supressing another sigh, I let a hand drop onto my face, hiding a light, awkward blush (in the darkness, I know), closing my eyes in defeat.

_"Time heals all sorrows,_

_Gain love and no worries,  
Cause nothing_

_Is more precious than love,_

_Noble, faithful…"_

* * *

**The song (Violet Snow by Aira Yūki) as well as the characters belong to their respective owners and not me, sadly.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey there! Thank you so much James Birdsong for your comment! I really appreciate it ^^**

**Hope you enjoy!**

"Look Elphie!" Galinda startles me as she suddenly seems to materialise next to me. Pretending not to have winced – not that she ever pays enough attention anyway – I raise a brow. I blink down at what appears to be a cupcake, planted firmly onto my desk. It is wrapped in pink, frilly paper – of course – and decorated with a swirl of buttercream or whatever they put on these things.

Ignoring the sparkles my roommate is excitedly pointing to, I wonder how I could have been too focused on my studies to notice her entering. In any case, I decide to stick to that, shoving the cupcake away and scanning the last paragraph of my Life Science book for the part where I had been.

I can practically _feel_ the pout I am getting in my bone marrow.

"Look." Galinda whispers too loudly to be fulfilling the purpose of whispering. She slides the cupcake back over the paragraph, knowing exactly where to put it to disturb my reading. She can be such a cat – always selfish and indecisive on what is good or bad at the moment; changing her mind at a second's thought; self-centred and yet a bit _too_ well-informed on how to push one's buttons. Mine, to be exact.

I give a sigh.

"Will you let me study-"

"I made it!" Galinda interrupts and I cannot help but raise a brow. "For you." Now both brows are going up. I glance up at her flawless, softly sparkling face, staring at me as if the fluttering of her incredibly long lashes would get the thing flying into my mouth. "Try it!" She says encouragingly, her sapphire eyes shining as she grins at me.

I cannot help another sigh.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing!" She immediately insists. I cross my arms in front of my chest. Galinda opens her mouth and closes it again. "I just wanted to be kind," she beams again, the slightest shade of pink tinting her cheeks, "to my most favouritest roomie."

"Uhuh."

"So I thought I'd make you a treat,"

"Right…" I give a roll of my eyes. She is definitely on to something. I only have to tip her over the edge to get her to spill the beans. She rolls her lips inwards as soon as she notices her own pout, trying to hide it. With a stubborn look on her face, she lifts her chin the tiniest bit, returning my challenging gaze.

"What, you don't believe me?" She puts her hands on her hips. My eyes unintendedly follow the gesture before flashing back up – I mean it is obviously _so_ rehearsed with Lurline knows how many times she has already done it (especially at me) but she does it so naturally… If there is anything, she's good at – anything at all – it is definitely acting superior. Or pissed (also at me).

Not that I'm intimidated, rather amused, but it just leaves me in awe time and time again.

"I doubt I'll survive tasting it," I shrug, readying when she draws an exasperated breath.

"What? Why?" She seems genuinely confused now and I have to admit, that is kind of adorable. In the most stupid way, of course (I mean who does not remember not to be able to fry a single egg?). This is not excusable with naivety anymore; she is either _this_ stubborn or plain stupid.

"Remember the time you asked what the strange looking rock in my hand was?" My lips twist in failed supressed amusement.

"The… onion?"

"Yeah."

"Oh," Galinda lets her hands drop, glancing upwards in thought, "I didn't use any for the cupcake," her voice retreats to a mumble, "I think…"

Honestly though, she did not know what an unprocessed onion looked like. Sure, she has always had everything done for her and probably gets everything served on a literal silver platter with these fancy food covers. But I mean… an onion?

"_Do_ you put onion in a cupcake…?" She is muttering, more to herself. I frown at her until she meets my eye. With a huge grin, Galinda then puts on her sweetest smile, innocently crossing her arms behind her back. "Well, anyway, it's really good, Elphie." She blinks at me friendlily, taking a step back. "You know, just from one roomie to another..." she backs away, towards the door, opening it behind her back, "Enjoy..." she says quietly, as if already having disappeared, even though she is only halfway out the door.

I think sighing is integrated into my normal breathing by now.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing…" she says distantly, disappearing behind the door. I think for a second, staring at the cupcake which's smell only now reaches me when Galinda and her intoxicating perfume have left the room. Almost. The door creaks close so slowly, I could be out of here before her.

Finally, a thought occurs to me. My lips twist again. I tap my fingernails one by one on the wood of my desk.

"You wanna know something."

"_Yesss!" _Galinda practically dashes back in, throwing the door open. She then almost throws herself across my desk, whining over-dramatically. I roll my eyes, noting that she crinkled my notes, but left the cupcake untouched.

"What is it?"

"What happened in class when I wasn't theeere?" She rolls over, golden curls bouncing around her face as she stares at me with huge eyes. I force down a smile. She's such an idiot, it almost makes up for the ridiculous annoyances she causes me.

"When? You're absent most of the time," I retort coolly, trying to ignore the bit of heat that rises to my face as she blinks at me rapidly, propping herself up on her elbows to face me directly (and by directly, I mean I can feel her _breathe_).

"Not true!" Galinda pouts, unconsciously making me roll my lips inwards. I give her a look, pulling myself together. "Well, anyway, everyone's talking about 'it' but I don't know what happened! Is it something with Fiyero?!" She blurts into my face, another sheet crinkling beneath her elbows, making me inhale sharply.

"I think the talk about _it_ should be with your parents," I nod to myself, ignoring the for complaining opening mouth, "though I'm pretty sure that's too late anyway."

"Was it something about Fiyero?" She presses on and I give in, letting my shoulders drop.

"He said something about a surprise and mentioned you or so," I vaguely confide, looking elsewhere. I know her eyes are sparkling; I don't have to turn my head to see it.

She gasps for breath, scrambling off my desk with an excited squeal. She starts pacing, mumbling to herself, conspiring and speculating under her breath.

"I need an outfit," she concludes, inspired. I roll my eyes yet again, shaking my head. Turning back to my desk, I eye the cupcake for a moment. My fingers gingerly pull on the pink paper and I pluck out a piece.

Despite my dislike for over-sweetened food and… pink, this is admittedly good. Which is more than enough proof of it _not_ originating in my incapable roommate's abilities.

"This is good."

"Told you I could bake." Galinda counters immediately, as if having waited for me to try (or maybe she has; sometimes she stares at me for minutes on end as I read, without me noticing). I can hear her getting her coat, nearly rushing over to the door, halting abruptly to check her makeup in her tiny pocket mirror.

"No, I mean the cafe's logo on the cupcake's paper looks nice. Well designed. You might wanna," the door shuts quicker than I can process, "…take it off next time." I finish but she's already gone. Snorting to myself, I cannot help a small smirk, creeping across my lips. I nibble on the cupcake, my thoughts only slowly returning to the subject matter with Galinda's pouty, caught face in mind, her perfume's mellifluous scent lingering in the air.


	3. Chapter 3

**Happy Birthday Ari! I hope you'll like it.**

**Enjoy the fluff!**

I sit at my desk, combing my beautiful hair when I hear it. The determined stomp. It's coming up the stairs, probably scaring everyone away who she comes across or just overrunning them. I roll my eyes with a smile of delight on my face I just cannot help. She is such a drama queen sometimes.

Getting up, I check my handbag (Pertanian original, of course, this season) for my other, smaller brush I always carry with me. In cases of emergencies. The stomp has almost reached the door to our suit when I want to exit, standing next to it in order not to be knocked over.

Elphaba hurls the door open, slamming it into the wall. She freezes. I think I'm holding my breath (and my handbag, if I have to run for it, I will _need_ my brush afterwards). She is scanning the room with piercing eyes, seeming to rip it into shreds in her search for… something.

Her head swings around all of a sudden. She burns her gaze into me, her eyes momentarily sparking up, making me want to yelp. I mean honestly, she _could_ try to be a little less disturbing from time to time.

"I need you to talk to me," Elphaba says, almost forcefully, staring me down. I want to laugh at that, opening my mouth to reply when she cuts me off. "You have to tell me _exactly_ what you said to me this morning. _Exactly._" She emphasises, closing in on me. "I've had an idea this morning, a really, _really_ good one for Doctor Dillamond's research when you spoke about some nonsense and now I forgot so you will tell me every stupid, annoying detail," she takes me by my shoulders, shaking me, leaning down with a glare so deep that feels as if its already nibbling at my soul, "got it?" She gives another shake and I just stare at her for a moment.

I blink at her, seeing her patience overstretch like a rubber band, about to snap. Don't get me wrong, the last thing I would want is to get on her bad side – and I mean actual bad side (I know she just pretends to be this annoyed all the time, she loves me). I just cannot grasp the situation of her wanting me to talk, especially concerning one of my dates.

Also, her asking me this makes me feel really important, so I let her suffer for a second longer.

"Oz to Galinda!" Elphaba is yelling at me now, squeezing my arms with her nails.

"Sure, Elphie," I muster my most calm voice, giving a playful pout since I know she will finally retreat from my face this way, "I'll tell you all about it when I come back,"

"No! I need to know now!" She grips me tighter, her eyes swivelling towards my handbag and back to my eyes. She rips it out of my hand, throwing it across the room to land on her bed.

"Hey!" I complain. Hectically glancing around, Elphaba hurriedly shuts the door with her foot. She stalks over to the mirror beside it – where we keep out emergency key – ripping the key off the wall and locking the door. In one swift motion, I am imprisoned, pushed over to sit on the bed and my only way out has just went down my roomie's boot. Great.

So much for showing off by taking my friends to see the new, unpublished collection of Ozparkles (I know the designer, friend of my mother), but I guess that falls flat now. It's not too bad, I have to admit, it will make them even more jealous when only _I_ know…

"…and then I think something about horses or so," Elphaba is ranting, I only now notice. Blinking back into the present, I look at her, pacing around vigorously, muttering to herself, hissing at some idea or another. She is such a fusser, my hot-headed Miss Elphaba.

"Why don't you have a seat, Miss Elphaba," I take care not to utter the 'my' out loud – that would probably cost me my head – patting my matrass next to me. She halts, staring at me for a few seconds, then exhales sharply. Her every move is angular as she comes to sit next to me, quite reluctantly. She hates sinking into the comforter – makes her feel trapped or something.

"Just start on whatever you said this morning before class,"

"Just the date or-"

"Everything. I'll let you know…" she mumbles, and I frown but don't ask. She can be such an enigma, though I am rather sure that she wants to be.

I hop over to my desk and she almost grabs me and pulls me back but stops when she sees that I am only getting my brush. Elphie gives a long sigh, like I do when the Professor walks in for class and I have to endure another hour of pretending to pay attention. She lets me shove her to the middle of the bed anyway and I start untangling her hair.

"Okay, let's see…" I hum to myself in thoughts, combing the tips first, "I got a letter from my Nanny, where she said-"

"No, I don't think it was that." Elphie interrupts, holding still otherwise. She is still fidgeting with the hems of her sleeves, but not as much as before. I think it calms her down when I brush her hair, so I always insist on it – that, and she has _such_ amazing hair, I'm almost jealous.

Almost.

Maybe a little.

(Don't tell her.)

"You stopped talking, don't stop talking,"

"Alright, alright… ehm…" I rake my brain for anything else that does not concern the date but give up quickly. It has to be that; I blabbed for what felt like hours. "So Fiyero took me on our date – I wore the most perfect lavender and crème coloured dress, you know, the one with the lacing on the back, and I was _so_ gorgeous and he looked super handsome and he led me outside where a carriage waited,"

"Uhuh."

"I mean, a _carriage._ How romantic can you be? I think his family really should invest more in things like that; from what he tells me, they only live off what they need to_ survive _and what kind of a lifestyle is that? They have castles and forts or so, only going there in winter when they could-"

"You didn't mention forts this morning, stay focused." Elphie reminds with a sharp undertone but I know she doesn't mean it personally. She's just stressed (like every other day).

"Hm… well…" I try again, reciting every little detail about the way to the café, every feature I admired about him and of course every compliment I received. And their origins. Like that gorgeous coral lipstick, I found the other day, which I planned on wearing but did not since I decided to wear a different outfit to go with the new handbag.

Anyway.

I talk until I am blue in the face but nothing happens. No 'a-_ha!_' moment or excited whispering or anything. She just sits there, quietly, apart from directing my monologue every once on a while. She lets me brush her hair and braid it and brush it again. She even listens to my colour dilemma of lilac and lavender being _completely_ different (it's a real struggle, trust me).

"That's pretty much it, I think,"

"No, that can't be it! There has to be _something_ that will trigger my idea…"

"I wouldn't know…"

"Try again." Elphie insists, so I frown in thought, trying to come up with something I have not mentioned. Or had not this morning.

"Maybe when I said I would take the train to-"

"No, we've had that."

"Or the new shop that opened-"

"Uhuh,"

"Or when I stubbed my toe on-"

"Heard it twice. The table's fault, I know." Elphie plainly says when I open my mouth in protest. I twist my lips, my gaze wandering upwards.

"What about when Fiyero joked about this-"

"Yeah, I think I've heard that even more often…" she gives a long sigh, raking a hand through her now perfectly untangled and silky hair. She stops for just a second, and I feel myself glow with pride. She noticed. She likes it. Sure, she doesn't say so or show it to me, but I know. And that makes me so happy, I can feel my heart flutter a little. "I feel as if _I've_ been on that date,"

"You think I'm that good of a storyteller?" I raise to sit upright on my heels, a wide smile stretching across my glossy lips.

"I think I will throw up if I have to hear any of it again," she rolls her eyes, crushing my hopes. For some reason, though, she takes notice of my reaction and offers me the tiniest of consoling smiles, hiding it just as quickly. My heart jumps a beat, because I know how little sympathy she has and how she acts upon it even more seldomly than it is triggered. She can be such a sweetheart, that grumpy, mean thing.

"Maybe-" I break off when Elphie lifts a hand. I blink at it, then at her. She is staring at the door, silent but focused. The handle moves the slightest bit, then stops. I edge forward on the bed until I am perched at the rim, watching her sneak up to the door. She looks at me, letting her hand drop but I know I need to keep my mouth shut.

Slowly, I sneak over to where she is, my heels off the ground in order not to clack on the wooden floor. I can hear hushed voices discuss, right in front of the door. I hold my breath to understand.

"…imprisoned her,"

"That atrocious, green hag!"

"We have to rescue her,"

"No! She will curse us! We should get Morrible,"

"Well, I'm not nearing that creepy old witch, but you can go."

"What? I'm not going there _alone._" I can hear Pfanee say, imagining her to be crossing her arms. There is silence for a while. I look up at Elphie, who is wearing a crossed expression, her chest heaving without any breathing being audible.

"Then what about Galinda?" Pfanee finally whispers and I realise how they have first tried to get in by touching the handle (or chickened out the last moment) and not even knocked or called for me. Is that why Elphie is this annoyed?

"I guess we'll find out in class tomorrow." Shenshen says, the clacking of heels down the stairs echoing through the door. I blink twice. They just _left_, thinking I might have been imprisoned and tortured or something? Wow.

I want to open the door, spit some comment down the stairwell, when I note my roomie's hand gripping the handle tightly. I can see she is about to do as I would have, shouting at them, being all angry and scaring them off, insulting them.

Defending me.

I put my hand over hers, meeting blazing green eyes. Shaking my head, I wait until she retreats from her furious stance. With a sharp sigh, Elphie lets the door handle go, bending down. I watch in surprise how she fetches the key from her boot, unlocking the door. She turns without looking at me, rummaging through her bag as if nothing ever happened.

"Don't you want to know anymore?" I hear myself asking, hanging the key she left in the lock behind the mirror.

"Didn't you want to be somewhere?" She asks in plain tones. I feel stabbed. Why would my friends' disloyalty towards _me_ make her this distant all of a sudden? My shoulders sink when she fishes out some note books and sits down at her desk, doing her own research. I just cannot understand her sometimes.

Sighing to myself, I gather my bag and head for the door, opening it. I halt in my tracks, listening to the swishing sounds of pages being turned. I want to turn around and stay when I hear Pfanee and Shenshen coming back up the stairs, discussing animatedly.

"You know," I say at last, turning to see Elphie completely engrossed in her notes, looking rather hopeless, "my Nanny always says: If you want to reach the peak, ask a Bird for-"

"A Bird!" Elphie leaps up, practically dashing over. "A Bird, Galinda, a Bird! That was it!" She takes my shoulders again, and I think she wants to shake me, when she freezes. I stare into sparkling green eyes, hardly a nose's length away from mine, when I hear a gasp.

Both of us turn our heads to gape back at Pfanee, Shenshen and Madame Morrible, their expressions varying between shock, disgust, concern and amusement. And yes, the carp-face can do _all_ of them at _once_.

Elphie's fingers loosen on my shoulders and I feel my feet standing properly on the ground again. There is another moment of silence as I am being released, no one having the decency to look any other way but ours.

"Well," Morrible says at last, snorting out her amusement, "I don't quite see the problem here, ladies," she unsuccessfully tries to supress a chortle. She gives Elphie a meaningful look that I cannot understand, then turns and saunters back down the stairs. Her cackle makes us all wince until it ebbs away.

Silence engulfs us for a moment until I see Elphie move. Without thinking, I give the shortest of nods to my friends and close the door in front of their faces. Baffled, they just stand there for a while, eventually leaving, but I'm not listening.

I smile at Elphie's confused face, flopping down on the end of her bed, next to her desk.

"Alright, what was the idea?" I ask, being met with even more puzzlement. She opens her mouth, but it takes another moment for words to come.

"You… want to know about Doctor Dillamond's research?" She asks, glancing at her chaotic notebook and back at me. I smile back brightly, nodding, making myself comfortable on my stomach with my chin resting on my hands.

"It's your turn to talk." I say, seeing her confusion dawning into something between feeling awkward and honoured, causing an even wider smile from me. Elphie starts and I try to understand, though I hardly can with her telling me things in different orders or not explaining technical terms, but I don't mind. I just watch her face with the beautiful avid spark in her eyes and listen to her pouring all of her passion into the topic. And I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks so much for the reviews ^^**

**Hope you'll enjoy!**

The sun blinds me as I step outside. I hold a hand over my eyes, squinting them. A second later, a shadow conveniently blocks out the garish but warm light.

"The Lady Upland has asked you to kindly wait for her arrival." The servant informs me. I can see the shadow of the parasol twitch lightly at my sharp sigh. Of _course_, Mumsie is late. It's not like her only daughter has an important event! It almost seems as if it has been made a rule – first day of school? Brooch was nowhere to be found. First performance in school? A carriage wheel was stuck. My award ceremony at town hall? Did not find the_ right shoes._ I mean, what's so hard to manage there? You see a pair of fashionable shoes, you buy it. End of story.

I shake my head dismissively, making my way over to the carriage. The white pebbles crunch beneath my heels, as well as the shoes of the hectic servant, carrying my last hat bag and keeping me out of the sun.

I can't quite believe it yet. Shiz University. _The_ Shiz University! I'm actually going! I am the first Frottican to ever be admitted to the school – all because of my hard work and excellent grades (okay, the tutors diiid help, but they're still _my_ grades, aren't they?).

"Ah, there's my angel!" I twirl around with my new silk skirt, beaming at Papa. He comes down the path towards me and gives me a firm hug. "We're so proud, your mother and I!" He says, and I have to give a little extra effort to keep smiling. Sure enough, Mama turns up the next second though, the carriage coming from town halting behind mine.

_My_ carriage. With which _I'm_ going. By _myself_.

"Oh, pumpkin, look at you!" Mumsie struts over to us, the ruffles of her dress jiggling along with her wide sunhat. She gives me a hug, too, and I immediately forget to be angry. I won't be seeing them in so long! The two keep going on about how proud they are and how well I will do, but I cannot focus. Someone's missing.

"…best architect Oz has ever seen!" Papa is saying and Mumsie gives an excited laugh. It's almost time. I look around but the only people I can spot are the servants, chatting in front of the house. The driver asks if I am ready. The train will be waiting.

I give a long sigh, then say goodbye to my parents. Mama is patting a few tears with a tissue, but my own suddenly freeze as I reluctantly get into the carriage.

"Nanny!" I exclaim, then lower my voice. My lips spread into a giant smile.

"I thought you could use some company," her low, hoarse voice says with understanding, and I cannot help a giggle. She is holding up my old, favourite doll with the red dress with white spots. I adored that doll as a child. She used to sew new dresses and craft tiny accessories, but I always loved the red one best.

"You're right," I say with delight as I sit down, my heart lighter than before, "I'm sure glad I had you packed," I say and we both laugh.

* * *

"Okay, wait, woah," Elphaba interrupts me, "What do you mean 'had packed'? You didn't even pack your own stuff?" She lifts a brow. I blink at her, not quite understanding.

"Yeah. Of course not. Didn't you have yours packed?" I ask, a little gobsmacked. She gives a sharp snort, folding her arms in front of her chest.

"Ehm, let me think," she glances at the ceiling briefly, "no." She says drily.

"But you're the daughter of the Governor of Munchkinland," I argue, but she turns her head away from me. Her eyes fall back onto the words in her book, but I can see she is only doing it as a replacement action.

"You think he'd care?"

* * *

"All packed,"

"Even the new dress and stockings?" Nessa is asking, looking around, her eyes scanning her bags.

"All there." Father is saying. Liar. I packed those stockings. I made sure to put them in last so that Nessie could wear them on her first day of school.

I roll my eyes, holding my tongue.

"And the surprise?" Here goes… "You said there was a surprise!" Nessa grabs the armrest of her chair, excitedly turning as father passes her. He fetches a box I had not noticed before and pats it secretively. This 'surprise' has been the number one topic for days.

"Wait and see," he says and Nessa almost jumps out of her chair before composing herself. She can be like that sometimes – overexcited and completely consumed by something, until she remembers to be presentable. To whom? The Unnamed God, praise him (in case you didn't get it yet, I mean that sarcastically).

Supressing a sigh, I saunter over to the carriage. I load up my single suitcase with uncaring ease, throwing it on top of all the others.

"Elphaba!" My jaw clenches. "Be more careful with your sister's belongings." Father bellows at me. I don't turn. I don't care.

"It was my bag." I say without trying to convince him. It doesn't matter; he will find another way to be correct.

"You might have damaged one of your sister's with it," he goes on, and I can already hear Nessa wheeling over carefully. Diplomatically as always.

"Those are just my clothes," she says soothingly and naturally, he lets it go. They share a long hug and hushed words of 'I miss you' and 'I love you' and 'May the Unnamed God watch over you' – things I will never hear. Not that I need to.

I get into the carriage without looking back.

* * *

I don't even notice to be holding my breath as I listen. After a minute of silence, I realise she is done. I exhale slowly, my body calming down from being sucked into the story. I'm not sure what it is, but when Elphie talks, when she actually tells me things, I feel the world around me going numb.

I take another moment to find my voice.

"...does he really hate you?" I ask as quietly as possible. It's almost a whisper and for a second, I hope she didn't hear. She shrugs, eyes still trained on the book in her hands.

"Who doesn't?" She says dismissively. She sounds as if she did not want to hear it either, neither the question nor the answer. The fact that she did answer makes a small smile tug at the corners of my lips.

I get up wordlessly. I can see Elphie roll her eyes, obviously not reading but she keeps pretending. I fold my knees beneath me on her bed, enclosing her stiff, yet unresisting torso, hugging her head to my chest. She gives a sigh with as much annoyance as she can muster – I know she pretends; I can feel her shoulders relaxing. Or maybe she _is_ annoyed and giving up, but I still wanna hug. It's not always about her.

"Who?" Elphaba frowns, trying to get out of my hug. Did I say that last thing out loud?

I grin widely – awkwardly – backing away. Giving me a look, Elphaba makes me fuzzy with embarrassment, so I avoid her eyes by hugging her again. To my surprise, she lets me.

We're both silent for a while. I can feel her book sinking, pride and warmth spreading within me. _No one _gets her to stop reading her beloved books. I close my eyes, letting my head rest with its entire weight on top of hers. I know she must hate this, but I am a physical person and she will just have to learn – she's my project, after all.

"Galinda?" Elphie's voice is plain.

"Hm?" Keeping my eyes closed, I don't move away. Neither does she.

"What the hell did _you_ get an award for?"


	5. Chapter 5

**I've still had this and I said I'd upload it. Happy reading Ari!**

Without making a noise, I sneak up the last flight of stairs. The girls' dorms really are a maze. Nothing my trained, hunter's eyes cannot manage, though. The afternoon sun is warmly filtering through the window of the last few steps, overlooking the side entrance of the building and lecture halls. If only I had this short of a way to class. I might even attend more often.

Alright, that was a joke. Fat chance.

A mischievous grin spreads on my lips as I face the only door of this level. The highest level. The 'penthouse'. The wood nearly bends beneath my neatly polished boots, but I know how to have it remain silent. If hunting training is not preparing you for sneaking around girls' rooms, what did I do it for?

I'm extra early (even I can be on time, if the motivation is right). I cannot hear any voices or sounds from inside, but my hopes are still up. And anyway, I'm only here to pick her up, nothing else. And, of course, I would not complain if there would be something she would invite me to do and stay… plans can always be worked around.

With one hand, I push my hair back casually, then I grab the handle.

"What are _you_ doing here?" I am greeted by a monotonous voice. Staring into the dimly illuminated room, I have to blink to take everything in. Especially being caught. And she is not even looking up!

I just stand there for a moment, speechless, staring at Miss Elphaba, who looks engrossed in her studies, and yet, seems to have expected me.

"You're neither Galinda nor Madame Morrible; no one else dares to enter this room," she says, then mumbles, more to herself, "and has the nerve to do so without knocking…" I catch myself, a smirk spreading on my face. Such a horrible reputation for someone this intriguing. I figure hardly anyone has the nerve to put up with a contentious attitude like that, but I like a challenge. After all, now that they are friends, I will be on my best behaviour.

"Clever-"

"What do you want?" Miss Elphaba cuts me off immediately. She turns a page, still not acknowledging me with her full attention. I understand why people avoid her. She gets under one's skin without trying, but I am not planning on letting her.

I lean against the door frame, relaxing my momentarily clenched jaw, replacing it with a confident smile.

"Oh, I just came by and-"

"You just wanted to catch her unalert," she beats me to the punch once again, lowering her voice to what almost seems like a threat, "and undressed..."

"The things you accuse me of, Miss Elphaba!" I dramatically place a hand over my heart, letting my jaw drop. She is still not looking up and I cannot help a wide smirk at being caught. This is rather fun.

"Am I wrong?" She plainly asks, and for a second, I struggle for words.

"I was just coming by on a friendly visit,"

"Well, she's not here,"

"Who said I was here for her?" I raise a brow, the corner of my mouth twitching upwards.

"Common sense." I almost want to laugh. A chuckle escapes me, anyway, and I know my eyes to be twinkling with amusement (looks very handsome, but then again, what does not about me?). She really has some fire in her and right now, I am almost forgetting to be having a date.

"Why so feisty, Miss Elphaba?" I taunt, finding myself excited for the next reply. Or insult – it has never been this fun to be accused. This even beats the time I got caught for painting all door handles red when the principal at that school lectured me, leaving handprints with my paint _everywhere_ on accident. And that says something.

"You do know that you aren't allowed in this building," Miss Elphaba pulls me back into the present, her eyes flashing over to me for a second. She is more irritated than she sounds; her posture gives her away.

"Not if I don't get caught." I cross my legs at my ankles, sliding a hand through my hair, leaning with my elbow against the doorframe.

"In that case, I would advise you to leave before I throw you out, Master Fiyero."

"Oh, don't be like that now. I'm just being nice." She turns another page, but I notice her to have stopped writing. I must be distracting enough.

"You're intruding our dorm with perverted motives-"

"Who ever said I-"

"_Every fibre of your body,_ Master Fiyero." Her tone is sharp. For the split of a second, I think she is going to charge me. Her eyes are piercing me belligerently with ice-cold threat. "Now, I would appreciate if you left already unless you want to be-"

"Fiyero!" Galinda suddenly appears at the top of the stairs. With a triumphant grin towards my girlfriend's roommate – I watch the hate she throws at me for it with delight – I turn with my most charming smile.

"Ah, there you are." I am always stunned by her radiating beauty, leaning down to greet her with a kiss on the cheek, "I was looking for you."

"In the girls' dormitories," Galinda slaps my arm playfully, eyes sparkling "You dog!" I smirk back, knowing I have once again gotten away with it. Not that Miss Elphaba would not still throw me out if she could, but I have protection now. She would not dare to do so in front of Galinda.

Taking her waist, I lean in further to trace my lips down the unbelievably supple skin of her neck. An unintended, vocal sigh escapes her perfect, pink lips and I cannot keep a smirk from spreading across my face. I _love_ hearing her voice like this, especially when I conduct the melody.

"Oh, Elphie," Galinda suddenly pulls away, gently shoving me aside as she enters her room. I blink in surprise if not utter bewilderment. I am dearly hoping for Miss Elphaba not to be watching me right now, but I just cannot keep a cool face. She _pulled away_. From me. While I was… I mean…

Alright. I admit it. I am more than intrigued now. Whatever it is that Miss Elphaba has, I want it, too. Getting Galinda's attention over me while I seduce and woo her. No one ever gets her to pay attention to them then. No one ever interrupts. And Miss Elphaba did not even actively do anything! I am still kind of dumbfounded. Fascinated.

Galinda rummages through her bag, which is larger than the ones she usually likes to carry around to match her outfits. She pulls a thick book out – and I am one hundred percent sure about her never to be getting herself books that are this heavy, not to mention full of words – handing it to her roommate.

"I got your book," she rips a small piece of scribbled paper off of it – and instruction – and I cannot begin to comprehend how even Miss Elphaba herself is able to read her own writing. Somehow, I figure, Galinda must have managed. I am not noticing, but I am breathing very quietly, not wanting to miss any of this. I mean, girls I get, but _this..._

"And a snack." Galinda takes a perfectly preserved cupcake out of her bag. She fleetly rips off a label, accidentally spreading crumbs everywhere on her roommate's notes. I am expecting anger, at least annoyance, but to my surprise, Miss Elphaba shoots Galinda a teasing smirk. Galinda giggles and I think I have just witnessed the rarest of nature's world wonders: Miss Elphaba, laughing. At least chuckling.

Galinda grins sheepishly, throwing the tiny sheet into her bag. Was that an _insider?_ I knew they communicated by now but this is unexpected.

"I know you want to study, but at least read outside for a while; it's such nice weather." She goes over to open the window, causing a grunt from her roommate. "I'll buy you a coffee." She offers with a sweet smile. Not for the first time, I feel a hint of jealousy bubble up in my stomach. Miss Elphaba is not even reacting! "A black one." Galinda adds, receiving a sigh of defeat. Then a shrug.

"Later." Miss Elphaba merely replies, making my girlfriend beam. This is like magic (and it makes me wonder why I even try so hard…).

"Alright," Galinda almost skips back to her vanity, dropping off her bag and taking a smaller, more suiting handbag with her. She stops in front of the mirror by the door, then gives me one of those fetching smiles. I nearly forgot we were going out. "See you Elphie!"

"Lovely to meet you again," I add with a charming grin as I take Galinda's waist, pulling on the door handle. I wince at what I receive in return. "Did she just hiss at me?" And once more, without looking up in the slightest, I might mention.

"It happens." Galinda shrugs, still a beacon of joy. I shake my head in disbelief and amusement, my mind returning to today's encounter and its curiosities for quite a while.


End file.
